Former Warrior comes to the rescue
By Stephen Tsai on March 27, 2018 | FOOTBALL, WARRIOR BEAT

A former University of Hawaii football player was one of the Good Samaritans who helped rescue a woman whose car went off Kamehameha Highway and into the ocean in Punaluu on Monday night.

Aaron Kia, an offensive lineman for the Rainbow Warriors from 2005 through 2009, said he was having a FaceTime conversation with his brother when he heard a car swipe the bushes across the street from his house.

“We saw this car in the air flipping (and it) lands in the water,” Kia told the Warrior Beat. “My wife called 911. I ran outside and I saw the woman.”

Kia and a neighbor approached the car, which was knee-high in water.

“But the tide was coming in, and the waves were pushing the car around,” Kia said. The waves were “splashing over the car. … I was able to open the door, get her seat belt off and pull her out of the car.”

The woman reportedly was treated and transported to an area hospital.

Kia, who works as a tattoo and fashion artist, said he once was enrolled in a Junior Lifeguard program.

“I was doing whatever I hoped somebody would do for me if I were ever in a tight spot,” Kia said. “I’m glad we were there.”

Aaron has always been one of my favorite Warriors. He is a genuinely good young man. His actions do not surprise me, that is the type of man that he is. Always great to see former Warriors bringing positive energy to the program.

Hope the Warrior program recognizes Aaron at an upcoming UH home football game.